210. Sit together in heavenlies
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
The Bible says that we are crucified with Christ, we were buried with Him by Baptism into death, we rose from the dead with Christ, we ascended with Christ, and now we sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We also have the prophecy that we shall come with Christ to the earth at the end of the age to judge.
It is amazing what faith in Christ accomplishes: we identify with Christ in all of His redemptive work. We are with Him through every step; and He even promises He will be with us to the end of the age. The unity we have with Jesus by faith could not be expressed in stronger terms. Being with Christ, being in Christ, identifying with Christ in every way, except insofar as He is God.
Sitting in the heavenly places says that we are glorified with Christ and we are rulingwith Christ. We cannot understand this promise fully because it is taking place in the spiritual world, in the kingdom of God, which we do not see. Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: this we believe, teach, and confess, for the Bible tells us so. But the promise also says that we are sitting with Him, on His throne or on a throne next to His. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Under that authority He commands us to go and make disciples of all peoples, baptize, and teach them to observe. We the Church carry out the mission of Jesus Christ, who directs His Church from the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
Jesus Christ is ruling, and, hard to believe, He rules though His people, the humans who believe in Him. We, weak humans though we are, are ruling and exercising dominion and authority over “all nations.” We, and Jesus, do not bend others to our will as the world’s rulers try to do. But we rule through witnessing, praying, loving, serving, giving, and many other such humble activities. Christians do such lowly good works and activities from a position of sitting and ruling with authority. The Church rules by preaching the Gospeland serving the Sacraments according to the Word of the Gospel. The Christian sits and rules by supporting the work of the Church, the body of Christ, which exercises the will of God in the world. We preach and support the preaching of the Gospel: that is sitting in the heavenlies.